Who Doesn't Like a Scorpio?
by Oh-no-she-di'ent
Summary: Luke starts to see his future, and it's not a pretty picture. Luke and Lorelai. Complete. Rating is Kplus! Enjoy.


Disclaimer: It's the Palladinos world. I'm just a squirrel wanting a nut.

Hello readers!!!! I've posted 2 things today, sort of in celebration of my birth. Holla! LOL. Both are complete. This is 1 of 2 or 2 of 2 depending on what order you read them in. I'd prefer the other one be read first because it's just something fun to read. This is the actual story. But do whatever pleases your soul.

In this story, Luke is the one seeing cats. I'll leave the plot there, but to cause as little confusion as possible: Nicole never happened. She could have. Not a time issue or anything. I just didn't like her. So...sorry, Nicole lovers. There was something else I wanted to say here, but it's esaping me now, so just try to go with the flow. And the rating is K-plus, so it's pretty safe for all readers. (Sorry Copop, lol)

Enjoy everybody!

**Who Doesn't Like a Scorpio?**

The night was still young.

Children's bedtimes had yet to be reached, and Luke found himself driving home.

His evening had not sucked entirely. But it reminded him greatly of every reason he avoided dating. There were way too many possibilities of things going awry. He knew this, he complained of this, and yet, he found himself engulfed in the world of this.

He'd thrown caution to wind. His gut was reliable, but it was moving at much too slow a pace. Feeling as if father clock couldn't be tipped and broken, Luke stepped outside of the box. Way outside as he lost direction of that piece of cardboard. Sandra had been on a street corner. Not in a way that would have her dodging cops. But in the way that kept her from having to dodge traffic. She waited at the crosswalk in front of the diner. Luke saw her and thought it funny how she waited for the signal when absolutely no cars were passing by.

She couldn't have been from Stars Hollow.

His first thought was to go out and fill her in on the lunacy of one, Taylor Doose. Have her realizing that the crosswalk was a madman's ploy to control the town. What use was there of a crosswalk in a town with a fifty car population?

Instead of unleashing one of his endless rants unto a complete stranger, he came with a different approach. His mind changed focus once he was by her side. He ended up asking her out, and she had agreed.

Fast forward four days as Luke drove home from their date, and that was one crosswalk conversation he could have done without.

Luke pulled into his parking space in front of the diner. He exited his truck in way that would have Ms. Manners screaming about posture. But the first date blues rang endlessly in his head. He went inside, finding customers splattered around eating and chattering on about nothing. Eyes turned to him when the bell sounded, but apparently he wasn't too important as they went right back to their individual tasks.

His apparel was new. Jeans and a backward baseball cap weren't exactly made for a date. He looked impeccable, handsome to a fault when he dressed this way. Stylish. Distinguished. Just like...a blasted banker. He hated it. Sandra marveled over his appearance, drooling all about the mouth. And of course, like anyone would be, Luke was quite flattered at first. But after a while, it got very old, and he wondered if she would even accept seeing him back in his old blue cap.

That's when his gut kicked in and told him to call for the check.

He moved through the diner, stopping behind where Lorelai sat at the counter. Usually, she would have been the first to turn. First to be nosy at the jingling of the bell, but as he looked over her shoulder, his curiosity mounting, he saw that she had a nice, juicy cheeseburger in her hand. He smiled slightly in understanding. Armageddon could hit, and she wouldn't be the least bit aware.

He touched a hand to her back as he walked on past with a tired sounding "hey". She turned the wrong way, seeing no one, then upon turning quickly to her right, she saw Luke walking away from her.

"Hey! When'd you get here?" She asked as she set her burger down and chewed what was in her mouth.

Luke was about to head upstairs, but he turned back realizing she wanted to talk. More time spent in the banker-like clothing.

"Just a second ago. Good thing too. It looked like you needed to come up for a little bit of air just then."

Lorelai waved away his words. "Luke, food and I have an understanding. It'll never harm me as long as I continue to show my dedication."

"Well, in that case, I don't _ever _have anything to worry about."

She swallowed the last of the food and smiled at him. Her eyes ran up and down his body as she examined his attire. "You look good," she said casually as she picked up her mug of coffee and drank.

Luke shrugged, ran a hand back across his hair. "Thanks."

She nodded as she set her mug down. She continued to scan his clothes. "You don't look like _you_. But you look good."

A smile came slowly. "What do you mean?"

"No offense or anything," she said quickly.

"No, it's fine. I just wanna know what you mean."

She shrugged. "You look like an accountant," she said simply.

He let out a quiet chuckle, and she smiled. "That wasn't too candid?" She asked with worry.

He shook his head, smiling more than he had all night. "No, it was just what I needed to hear. Thanks."

"Oh. Well, no problem. Anytime." She drank some more then set her cup on the counter. "So, where are you coming from this time of night?" She asked.

"Baseball game," he said jokingly as he gestured at his clothes.

She smiled. "And before that?"

He smiled back at her before he let his eyes drop. "A, uh, dinner...date."

"Wow." She tapped her mug with a steady rhythm. "Who's the lucky femme?"

He looked up with annoyance. "I don't date _femmes_."

"Okay then, who's the lucky dude?"

He gave her a hard stare and she goofily gave him one in return. With an eye roll and Lorelai's sudden laughter flowing to his ears, he replied, "You probably don't know her. She's new in town."

"You'd be surprised at the people that I know. Before they made Dizzy Harrison The New Guy they had to run it past me to see if that title would _actually_ suffice."

"Her name is Sandra."

"Sandra...?"

"Mendell."

"_Oohh, Sandra Mendell!_"she exclaimed quietly. "You're _dating _Sandra Mendell?"

Luke's eyes went wide. "You know her?" He asked shocked.

Lorelai smiled. "Nope, never heard of her," she replied honestly.

He rolled his eyes and his voice went flat. "Well, why did you act like you knew her then?"

"I dunno. Seemed like fun at the time."

"Of course," he said with a sigh.

Lorelai pushed her plate away and leaned forward. "So, did you guys have a good time on your date?"

He nodded a little. "It was alright. Took her to dinner. Talked. Nothing to write home about."

"Sounds interesting," Lorelai said anyway. She smiled. "You—talking. Kind of weird."

"Funny."

"Here til nine."

He shook his head. "If it's okay with you I think I'm going to go upstairs and get out of these clothes."

Lorelai nodded and pulled her plate back in position. "Are you coming back down?"

He looked at the clock on the wall. "Yeah, I guess I'll close tonight since I'm back early."

"Okay. I'll still be here. I'll wait for you to serve my pie instead of letting Caesar get it. It always tastes better when you serve it."

"Even with me lecturing you on how it'll kill you someday?"

"Probably _because_ of it."

"I'm going upstairs," he announced flatly as he turned to go.

"Hey, Luke?"

"Yeah," he answered turning back.

"You do look nice tonight."

"Glad you think so."

She smiled. "Okay, now that that's said, go upstairs and slap on some flannel. You have pie to serve."

He smiled lazily. "I'll only be a minute."

With that, he disappeared behind the curtain. Lorelai's smile was directed to her burger as she toyed with the fixings, her mind elsewhere. She hadn't had knowledge that Luke was seeing anyone.

Sandra Mendell.

She wondered if she was pretty.

-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-

Lorelai pushed open the door to _Luke's_, and Jason followed her inside.

"You know, these business trips of yours are putting a damper on this hidden relationship of ours." They both sat at the table near the window.

"I can't possibly see why. What about that saying about absence making the heart grow fonder?"

"Ruse. Men who go on business trips to pull classic Hugh Grants made that up to fool their bimbo wives and mistresses. I'm not a bimbo nor am I a concubine. I require the '_ooh, the relationship is still new'_ kind of QT," she replied playfully. "I will not be denied."

Jason smiled. "And I'd never lose enough of my mind to try to deny you anything."

"Good answer."

"Don't worry. I'm leaving in the morning, and with any luck, I'll be back before you're all tuckered out for the night."

"Can you at least bring me back a T-shirt?"

"Thought you'd _been there _and _done that_?"

"I did, but they were out of the T-shirts." Jason chuckled. "Size medium. Maybe small, depending on style. You're bringing your camera phone, right?"

"Yeah," he answered unsurely.

"Good. You can be my Guy Bourdin. Whatever you think I'll appreciate, snap it and zip it over to me. I'll inspect it, then send you back a thumbs up..." She held up a finger to demonstrate, "...or a thumbs down. Sounds good?"

"Sounds excellent. And thanks for reminding me what a thumbs up is supposed to look like. That definitely would've created a pickle had I not gotten that heads up."

"Oh, I know! I saw that happening in my mind's eye," she said with exaggeration. "It's like I'm psychic. You're totally getting billed for that by the way." Her eyes moved to Luke as he came down the stairs.

"Why waste the paper? Let's get it out of the way now." He pulled a dollar from his pocket and looked around. "Wonder if Duke can break a buck."

Lorelai's smile turned to Jason. "Leper, leper, leper, I say," she playfully ranted as she hissed. She stood up and pocketed his dollar with a wink. "Be right back. I'm going to go order from Duke. And just to really shake things up, I'm going to call him the name actually _written on the window_," she said as she pointed a finger there. Jason turned and looked just as Lorelai chuckled and left the table.

She approached the counter and sat on a stool. "Gee, Luke, if I didn't know any better, I'd think you were changing on me."

Luke stood up from where he was crouched behind the counter. "What are you talking about?" He asked distractedly as he set a box on the surface.

Lorelai motioned toward him. "I come in here a week ago and you were fresh from the office, and now it looks like you're headed back there." He nodded in understanding as he quickly filled his sweet 'n' lows. Lorelai looked at her watch and saw that it was a quarter til seven. "You're going on another outing?" She asked.

"Yeah, something like that," he said finally looking at her fully. He caught sight of Jason and looked at him for a moment before he turned dull eyes to Lorelai. "What'd I tell you about bringing him in here?"

"Luke--"

"Exactly. _Luke_. That doesn't seem to be something he can say. I don't like trust-fund babies prancing around my diner calling me out of my name thinking it's funny."

"Okay, first off, _Rory's_ a trust fund baby, and I would have been one had I not become such a grave disappointment. So, pull back on the term. And secondly, Jason means no disrespect," she said tossing a glance to him, "...he's just not all that...detail-oriented."

Luke nodded. "Detail-oriented?"

"Yes."

"The name Luke is a _detail_?" He asked dumbly.

Lorelai smiled. "Well..." She had no answer for this. Jason had been calling him Duke for two months now, and Luke didn't accept it as well as he did when she was doing it all those years ago. She sighed. "Just cut him some slack, okay. Like you've been doing."

Luke rolled his eyes and went back to filling up the bowls. "I've been doing it because I was sedated. Now, I'm nervous and fidgety. I don't cut slack when I'm on edge." He looked at her quickly. "_Don't _let him touch my menus while he's here." Lorelai smiled as her eyes went to his. He continued like a child would do. "Or my plates. Or my foo--in fact, make him go stand outside while you yell at him through the door."

Lorelai laughed. "Why are you nervous?" She asked trying to change focus.

"Jerk," Luke mumbled quietly in ending. He put the box back under the counter and sighed. "Why do you think? Because I have a date," he replied.

She nodded. "Right." She continued to nod lackadaisically. "So, uh, where'd you get the threads?"

He frowned. "Your memory can't be that short. I thought you remembered everything about clothes."

She looked at him in confusion. "I do. My own." Her eyes dropped to his clothes again. "Why would these clothes be a part of my memory ban--oh!" she exclaimed suddenly. "Are you wearing what I got you?"

"Yep."

She smiled approvingly. "I should have known I had something to do with this. You don't look like a full out accountant today. You look more like...an accountant's intern."

He chuckled. "I guess that's good."

Her smile widened. "So, if you don't mind my asking, where are you--" The bell over the door rang, and Lorelai's attention went there. She turned quick, expecting just to glance. The double take she did was given more flourish because of that original intention.

A woman came inside dressed formally. And because of this, Lorelai figured her to be Luke's someone.

She turned her head back to Luke. He straightened his clothes and came around the counter. Lorelai's eyes followed him. She was curious to see what he would be like, how he'd communicate with his date. She'd never gotten a chance to see him interact on that level with anyone. Not even Rachel. She'd never seen enough to satisfy that curiosity.

He met her in the middle of the floor with a nervous greeting. He tossed a glance to Lorelai before he stepped to the side and placed his hand in the small of his date's back. Lorelai's eyes followed that gesture. She smiled and looked at him just as he cleared his throat and started to speak.

"Uh, this is Lorelai. She's a regular..." He smiled, "...and a friend." Lorelai nodded and smiled wider at the woman, who she already knew by name. "Lorelai, this is--"

Lorelai stood up. "I know. You must be Sss--" Lorelai's eyes went to Luke who stood giving her thirty different signals for stopping. Her eyes went back to the woman casually and she played it off like a pro. "...Ssssorry," she covered with a chuckle, "I like to hear straight from the horse's mouth--a _beautiful_ horse, by the way. God, I love your dress," she said honestly. "It's always good to meet another with style that matches mine," she added playfully, speaking fast to throw her. "What's your name now, Hon?"

There was a smile from her and a sigh of relief from Luke. "My name's Vicki, Lorelai, but everyone calls me Vee."

Lorelai smiled widely and extended her hand. "Nice to meet you, Vee."

"Same here," came her reply.

Luke chimed in at that moment. "Okay, um, I think we better get going. Whaddya say?" He asked looking at Vicki.

She shrugged, still smiling, and she looked back at Lorelai. "It was nice to meet you, Lorelai."

"You too, Honey. And I don't know where you two crazy kids are off to, but you just make sure you take care of my dress, okay." Vee laughed. Lorelai winked and shook her hand kindly again. "You guys have fun," she said speaking to both her and Luke. "And don't drink and drive. Do it _before _you drive cause you need two hands on the steering wheel at all times. 10 and 2. It's the law," she said in all seriousness.

Luke chuckled and Vee seemed reluctant to leave, she was so humored.

Lorelai was about to keep going, but upon seeing Luke looking at her with impatience, she zipped her mouth and let them exit.

She took a deep breath once the door closed.

She wondered when exactly Luke had become Hugh Hefner. Sandra, Vicki...how many more were there? And she had come close to spilling his bag of beans.

"Jeez, it would have been hell getting that size 9 out of my mouth," she mumbled.

She rolled her eyes as she went back to the counter to actually place her order.

-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-

The following day had Lorelai rising earlier than usual.

She had to be at the inn, but it wasn't until later in the morning that she'd planned to show up. She showered and dressed, made herself ready for her business day, but her first destination was going to be Luke's. She hadn't been up tossing and turning with these thoughts or anything, but she _had _been consumed by questions and wonderings of his social life nowadays.

Lorelai had her order of things. The way she expected things to be in order for her world to revolve. There were the basics like her nightly dates with her television set. Or her stacks of magazines--stacked according to importance, pages folded for reminders. But one big one, the one she felt may be in jeopardy, was Luke.

They had their coffee bits and their small moments of bonding. _That_, she felt would continue. What she feared changing was Luke's core. She needed him to be certain way. While she didn't necessarily have the ability to put into words what that was, him being Jack Kennedy certainly was not it.

Her routine was hurried so that she'd have ample time to spend at the diner.

When she made it there, she walked inside and parked herself on stool. She'd seen Luke disappear into the storage room just as she had come in, so she waited patiently for him to emerge. When he did, he carried a box of some kind of product that he dropped onto another box off to the side. Standing up, he turned to go in again, but he saw Lorelai sitting there.

He released a short breath and smiled a little at her telling grin.

He made a gesture for her to follow him into the back. So, she did.

"Why, Good Morning, Mr. Danes. How be you this fine forenoon?"

He shook his head at her teasing tone. He moved around her and pushed the door to a crack. Turning, he went and stood in the middle of the floor where she now stood. "I can only imagine what last night looked like to you," he began.

She smiled as her eyebrows playfully furrowed. "Why, what _what _looked like, Luke?"

"Lorelai," he said exhaustedly.

She chuckled at his enervation. "Okay, I'll stop."

He breathed deeply and clasped his hands. He folded his arms seconds later as his discomfort grew. "Okay, let me start off by saying 'thanks'. Your ability to come up with crap at a moment's notice was very impressive."

"You express sentiment so well, anyone ever tell you that?"

"All the time," he answered airily. "Now, I know you have questions."

"Why would I have questions, Giacomo Casanova?"

"Cats," he said simply.

"What?" She asked confusedly.

"Cats," he repeated. "Four weeks ago, I was out. A stupid cat came up to me."

Lorelai grew excited. "Stimpy?!"

"No."

"Garfield?"

"No."

She gave him an inquisitive look. "Pepe Le Pew's Penelope?"

"No."

Pause. "Puss in Boots?"

"No! _Lorelai_, it was a real cat!"

"Oh, a real cat?"

"Yes."

"Okay, then how about the Clinto--"

"Lorelai."

She laughed. "I'm sorry," she said as she roped in her youthful toying. "Okay, a cat came up to you..." She said to get him back on track.

He sighed. No other person in the world could draw so much exhaustion from a simple recounting. Continuing on, he said, "Yes, and at the time, I didn't think anything of it. Stupid, lost cat, whatever." Lorelai nodded, remaining silent. Luke gave a sigh of relief and went on. "But then a few days later, I saw another one. Next day, another one. Then another one. _Five_ cats total in six days! All at different times," he said pausing for her reaction.

Her eyes were wide as she waited for him to reach a point that, judging by his expression, he had already reached.

"Sooo...you...think that you've become...a _cat lady_...?" She asked slowly.

"Lorelai, be serious."

"I am being serious."

"No. You. Are. Not," he said pronouncing each word fully but quickly. "I am not claiming to be a cat lady here. I'm not crazy. Not only do I hate cats, but I'm aware of my anatomical make-up. I'm talking about what the cats represent."

"Okay, and what's that, Luke?"

He held his hands out to his sides. "Desolation!"

Lorelai's eyebrows drew together. "Are you talking about companionship? The _cats _made you go out and turn into Warren Beatty?"

"I'm not dating a bunch of women, Lorelai."

"Was there not a Sandra--a Sandra Mendell?"

He rolled his eyes. "Yes."

"And yesterday, did I not meet a _Vicki, everybody calls me Vee_?"

"It's not what it looks like."

"I mean, I've known you for..." She thought quickly, "...like 8 years. I've seen you with one woman, Luke. One. And suddenly, here you are dressing up going out with all these women."

"I've been on two dates. With only two women."

"Still. It's a lot to take in. This isn't who you are."

"Why are you acting like I've turned into a sex maniac?! It's just dating. This is what you do when you're single, isn't it? You date. And I'm single, so I'm dating."

She shrugged. "Good for you. I'm sure both Sandra and Vee will be happy to hear you're branching out."

He took a deep breath and looked at her for a moment. "I'm not going out with Sandra. We went on a date, and that was it. I wouldn't have gone out with somebody else if I were still seeing her, Lorelai."

"So if it didn't work out with Sandra, why didn't you express that when I asked how your date had gone?"

"Why are you talking to me like I'm a suspect in a murder case?"

"I'm just trying to get a good understanding of where your head's at these days. I mean, _as your friend_, I think I have a right to know, right?"

"I think, _as my friend_, you can try to act like you care, act like you know me, and stop trying to make me a part of a damn statistic."

"I'm not, Luke. But yesterday, you had me playing the name game. And that's not you. I just don't…I don't like you _being_ like this. I don't like you acting like…like…"

"Like what?"

She sighed and rolled her eyes. "Like a guy."

Luke almost laughed. Luckily the feeling came intertwined with aggravation, so it was held at an equilibrium.

"You don't like me acting like a guy," he repeated.

"Yes."

He dropped his eyes with a sigh. "Lorelai, I'm not getting any younger here."

"Okay," she said receptively.

"Being a bachelor was fine for me twenty years ago. Ten years ago. Hell, a _month_ ago it was fine."

Silence followed that admission.

"And now?" Lorelai asked.

"Now, it's not." He rubbed his face exhaustedly, then dropped his hand with a slap to his thigh. "Do you know that my dad was nine years older than I am now when he died?"

She softened immediately. "No," she said quietly with lifted brows. "I didn't know that."

"Well, he was. And my mom died long before that, but my parents were together almost their whole lives. That's a long time to have to look at one person," he said, causing her to smile.

He paused and took a deep breath. "I am almost my dad's age, and I don't have…_anyone_," he said with flourish. "I don't have the—the years of bickering and the hours of talking and…or course the friendship that I _know_ would be needed to make a relationship last that long. I don't have that with anyone, Lorelai."

She looked down. "And then came the cats," she said understandably.

He nodded, looking at her bowed head. "Yeah. Added insult to injury." He backtracked, "Or bet yet, they just made me want to put my ass in gear." He paused. "My intentions are not to go out and be with as many women as I can. My intention is to put in some kind of effort so that I can...have somebody." He held up a finger. "_One _person," he said clearly. "And unfortunately, dating is the stepping stone to that end."

Lorelai looked at him as he spoke. He sighed warily when finished, and Lorelai smiled and dropped her eyes. She shuffled her feet. "Well, I've never felt more like a donkey's rear," she muttered.

Luke smiled with reluctance as he lowered his eyes as well. "Oh, don't say things like that," he said with feigned support. "I'm sure you have at some point."

She smiled more at hearing his mood lighten. Her eyes returned to him. They stood in silence for a comfortable moment. Lorelai's hands went inside the back of her jean pockets, which she'd chosen as her casual work-wear.

"So...what exactly happened with the first date? Why didn't that one work out?" She asked with complacence.

He shrugged. "She seemed too superficial."

She grimaced. "Ooh, yeah, definitely not for you," she said quickly as she shook her head. Luke smiled.

He felt open enough to share. "The suit that I absolutely hated had her going insane. I'm surprised you didn't see all of her drool on the front of it when I came back that night."

Lorelai laughed at that. "It was that bad?" She asked.

"It was _that _bad and then some. I couldn't get out of there fast enough."

Her delighted expression shown bright as she looked at him considerately. He was definitely not just another guy.

"Well, did you have better luck last night?" She asked, speaking of Vee. "She seemed kinda cool."

He nodded. "She was. And I'm sure she'll make a great mate...for somebody else."

Lorelai chuckled. "What? Well, what happened with her?"

"I realized she was a great conversationalist, which believe it or not, I _do _find a plus. Problem was, the topic that never seemed to get fully dropped."

"What was that?"

"You."

Lorelai's eyes widened. "Me?!" She asked stabbing herself in the chest.

He laughed at her reaction. He knew he'd get her with that one. Shaking his head, he continued, "From the moment we stepped foot outside, it was Lorelai fever. She kept asking me questions. At first it was okay since we'd just been talking to you, but then it got creepy, and her name is officially out of my rolodex."

Lorelai's hand went to cover her mouth, still in a state of shock. "Man. Do you think she's..." She gave him a sort of knowing look.

Luke shrugged. "I don't know and I don't care," he said picking up on her meaning. "That's for the next guy to figure out."

"Oh my god," Lorelai whispered. "Luke, I only talked to her for a few seconds. What kind of impression could I have _possibly _made in that time?"

"Apparently a lasting one."

"Wow, I really do _not _know my own powers. That's a scary realization."

"And moving on," he announced vapidly.

She shook her head as she felt unable to move past that weighty revelation. Luke snapped her out of it. "There's this woman that works over at the furniture store on Pear." Her eyes returned to him. "I was thinking of asking her out, what do you think?"

"_So soon, Luke_?What about Vee? _What about Veeeeeee_?!"She asked with dramatics. She pulled the imaginary curtain down in front of her face. "And scene."

Luke rolled his eyes. "Just when I think sanity has planted a seed..."

Lorelai ignored him. "Have you ever talked to her?"

He shrugged. "Define talk."

She laughed at him. "Uuuh, lips _moving_, words.._flowing_...possibly a brain _backing_."

"I've spoken to her. We've never really talked," he replied.

"And she's single?"

"No, she's not actually. She has a husband of 10 years. Thought I'd pick her up at 7 for our date and we'd take the shortcut to Hell."

Lorelai chuckled.

"Of course she's single, Lorelai. What kind of question was that?"

"Sorry, just asking." She met his eyes. "You're really putting the pedal to the medal with this thing, huh?"

He sighed. "Well, hopefully, I can find somebody who's worth more than one date, and I can put the pedal to the medal with them and only them."

She smiled. "Was that a _dirty_, Luke?"

He smiled as well. "Even if I said 'no', you'd still see it as that, so take it how you want to take it."

"Thank you. I'll do just that."

He shook his head. "Listen, I better get back out there," he said, pointing a finger toward the door. "Do you have enough time to eat?"

"Plenty of time eat," she answered. "You offering to feed me?" She asked.

"Yeah," he responded. He grunted as he lifted up the last box on the floor. "And I have just the stuff." Lorelai read the words on the box when he was upright. She looked into his smiling face. "Nice, healthy shredded wheat," he finally said. "Sounds yummy, doesn't it?"

Lorelai playfully gagged as she walked toward the door. He fell in step behind her chuckling. They exited the storage room.

-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-

Two weeks went by before Luke and Diane finally got a chance to go out.

She suggested miniature golf. And right then, Luke's instinct was to end the date right there. He was not a golfer.

But he sucked it up and played the game. They played some holes, and with no surprise, he _lost _some holes. They talked while they played, and just as Luke started thinking that maybe he'd found the one worthy of a second date, he was given a rude awakening.

She spotted and pointed out an ex of hers. Not a big deal is what it was at first, but she seemed determined to make it one. Luke found himself in a whole new game. A game of which ex could make the other more jealous, and he was suddenly a prop.

Needless to say, he ended the date and drove her home. She spoke incessantly, gave more apologies than he cared to hear, but the damage had been done. He left with no hard feelings. He didn't know her well enough to have any.

He made it home, and went upstairs to his apartment.

He pulled off his sweater and dropped it to the floor, leaving himself covered in a T-shirt and slacks. He kicked off his shoes on the way to the refrigerator. Grabbing a beer, he made his way to the couch.

"_Great _night," he said aloud. He twisted his cap off and took a swig of beer.

His eyes wandered around the apartment. Spotting the phone on the coffee table in front of him, he leaned forward and picked it up. His fingers began to dial before he knew what he was doing. He took another gulp and set his beer on the table as he put the phone to his ear.

It rung twice and was answered.

"Allo."

"Hey," he greeted. "Lorelai, it's Luke."

"Oh, hey, Luke!" She sounded surprised, and Luke could tell she was smiling. It made him crack one. "Man, this is a surprise," she followed. "I don't think you've ever called me."

"I have called you before."

"Not this late. Not just conversationally." She paused. "Wait, is this conversational or is something wrong?" She asked to make sure. She assumed it wasn't by the comfort that was in his voice when he'd first spoken. He sounded like he was seated somewhere relaxed.

He validated that assumption. "No, nothing's wrong. Just..saw the phone, picked it up."

"Got sick of stooping for pennies, did you?"

"What?"

Lorelai laughed. "So, what's going on?" She asked instead. She sat on the end of the couch, put her back to the arm of it, and stretched her feet toward the other end. She placed her bowl in her lap.

Luke sighed as he thought about his night. "Just got home from miniature golf."

"I'm sorry, Luke, this stupid line must be crossed. Kinda sounded you just said you went miniature golfing."

"Unfortunately, that is what I said."

"Ah, man," she said sympathetically. "Miniature golf _sucks_. Though, it _was _better than Veronica Sawyer's suggestion. Kept prison out of the equation."

"What are you talking about?"

"_Heathers_. Classic. I have it if you want to watch it sometime."

"I'll pass. But thanks."

"No prob," she said as she rummaged around in her bowl of popcorn. She popped a few and chewed loudly in Luke's ear.

He rolled his eyes. "Good popcorn?"

"How'd you know that's what I was eating?"

"It was a guess."

"Good guess."

"Thanks. Now try not to chew directly _in _the phone if it's not too much trouble."

"I'll see what I can do," she replied. She popped some more. "So, the date was sour?"

"You can say that. It didn't get that way until she started using me to make her ex jealous, though."

He heard her shock through the phone. "Don't tell me you ran into the guy at the miniature golf store."

Luke laughed. "It's not a store."

"You know what I mean," she said as she went back to eating. "So, what happened then?"

"Nothing happened. She finished her game, and I took her home."

"Is she out of the rolodex?"

"At the bottom of the bin."

"Bummer."

"Guess it's back to the drawing board," he said.

"I know you hate that, huh?" She asked with understanding.

"All this hitting and missing is making my arms weak."

Lorelai smiled. "Would it make you feel better if you had a spotter?"

"A spotter?" He asked confusedly.

She shrugged as she played with her popcorn. "Yeah, looks like I'm back on the scene too. Guess we're both in that game."

"Oh. When'd you and your...guy break up?" He asked, wondering if this is something he should have known sooner.

"Few days ago. He's trying to sue my dad over some business snafu, so I had to cut the rope."

"S-sorry to hear that," he said quietly, not knowing exactly what to say since he'd hated him from day one.

Lorelai breathed deep. "It's fine. Life goes on, right?"

"That's one thing you can count on."

She nodded thoughtfully.

"So, you're hopping back on the scene now too, huh?" He asked.

Lorelai smiled. "No, I'm not really up for it, honestly. I know it's not pretty out there, so I'm going to delay the inevitable. Just take some time and get to know Lorelai."

He scoffed. "Good luck with that."

"Ha. Ha. Ha," she said dryly.

Luke chuckled.

Lorelai went on. "I bet you already have another one lined up, don't you?"

"Nope. Still on the prooowl," he drug out playfully.

She smiled. "You're not having a lot of luck in the area, if you ask me."

"Good thing I didn't ask you."

Lorelai ignored him as she continued. "You know what your problem is?"

"I have a problem now?"

"Of course."

"Hm."

"Your problem is that you aren't really asking yourself what it is you want in a woman."

"How do you know what I'm asking myself? For all you know, me and _myself _could have a full conversation every night."

"Let's hope that's not the case."

"What are you getting at?" He asked.

"I just think that you need to take time and figure out what it is you're looking for. It'd help you to weave out the undesireables."

"Not necessarily, seeing as how I don't really know the woman isn't for me until _after _we've started the date."

Lorelai sighed and set her bowl on the table. "Luke, you're a very thoughtful person," she said simply.

"Thanks," he said in gratitude.

She shook her head. "No, I mean you are a _thought_ful person. You use your head more than anyone I know. Sidestepping the 'dirty' for the time being. But you do. You're not a _sight and sound _type of male, and you're jumping into this thing like that's what you're about. I think that you'd have way more luck if you peeled away some layers and looked for certain aspects of a woman. That's what I think would lure you in and help you to really see that someone is suitable for you."

There was quiet as Luke allowed Lorelai's words to sink in.

He was surprised to find that she had actually made sense.

"What do you think I should do?"

Lorelai smiled. She loved to win. "You can start by making a list."

"A list?"

"Yeah. A list of what you want. You could do it mentally, but I think it'd help more if you could see it."

"That's sounds like oodles of fun," he said sarcastically.

Lorelai paid him no attention. "I could help you if you want. You want to come over?"

Luke frowned. "Now?"

"Now works for me. Are you busy?"

"No, but I don't feel like doing it now."

Lorelai rolled her eyes. "Fine. What about tomorrow?"

"What time? I'm going to be pretty busy in the diner tomorrow because Caesar's taking--"

"Oh my god!" Lorelai said with frustration, but she laughed at the same time. "How about we just work out something later since you're suddenly so hard to pin down? I'll be in the diner tomorrow for lunch."

He smiled at her laughter. "Okay. We'll figure something out then."

"And then there'll be pie."

Luke sighed, all lost hope for the eldest of the Gilmore girls. "Pie. Yeah, sure." Lorelai clapped. He smiled. "Well, I'll let you go now. I'm sure you still have a full night ahead of you."

"Yep, sure do," she stated, not letting on to how perfectly happy she was just talking to him.

He nodded on his end. "Thought so. You have a good night, okay?"

"You too...and thanks for the call."

"Anytime."

They hung up.

-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-

Lorelai opened the door to her house, and she and Luke walked inside.

"And do you _know _why, Luke?"

"No, but I'm sure you do," he mumbled as he walked to the couch and took a seat.

Lorelai deposited her things in the foyer as she yelled to him. "Because you didn't listen to me!" She revealed.

He rolled his eyes. Lorelai walked past him to the stairs, still talking. She ascended them..._still talking_. "I told you what you had to do. You had to make a list. But did you listen? Nooooo! No, Luke wanted to run around avoiding doing the list. Luke wanted to avoid doing this for not one day, _not _two days, not even two _weeks_. Luke dodged this for _sixteen_ days!"

He could still hear her, but her voice was distant. He hoped she wasn't talking while she was in the bathroom doing God knows what. Seconds later, he heard a flush, and he shook his head. She yelled at him nonstop.

"So, now that you've gone on yet _another _disastrous date, you want to seek me out, huh?"

He heard her voice much clearer, and she came down the stairs shortly after. Still talking.

"Noooow, Luke wants to come and find the Oracle and find out what he has to do. Noooow, Luke thinks that the advice that--"

"Lorelai, please. I've said it twice now. You were right, I was wrong. Next time when you ask me to come over at the drop of a hat, I'll listen. Can we move on now?"

She smiled, thoroughly pleased. "Gladly."

"Good." Luke stood and went to her desk, pulling out pen and paper. He came back over and handed it to her. "You mind?"

She took it from him. "Not at all," she replied. Luke sat back down on the sofa. Lorelai was positioned comfortably in the middle of the coffee table as if it was a real seat.

She set the pen to write, then looked at Luke. "Okay, go."

"Go where? What am I supposed to say?"

She shrugged. "Just start naming stuff you like in a woman."

He shook his head. "This sounded like a better idea over the phone."

She smiled. "Would it help if I asked you questions?"

He folded his arms. "Sure."

Lorelai looked down at the blank sheet, then back at him. "Okay. Um, hair. What do you prefer?"

He shrugged. I prefer they _have _it."

She pretended to write. "Okay, Sinead, you're out." When done, she looked down proudly at the blank page. "Wow, this really narrows that list down quite a bit there, doesn't it?" She asked showing it to him.

He rolled his eyes. "I don't have a preference for hair type."

"But if you had to choose?"

He thought for a moment. "Brunette, I guess."

Lorelai wrote that down. "Now we're getting somewhere." She looked back at him. "Eyes?" She asked with a head tilt.

"I _really _don't care about eyes. Who chooses somebody based on something that insignificant?"

"It's not insignificant if you're planning to have kids with the person. Maybe you want your kids to have a better shot at having a certain eye color."

"That's stupid."

"Or what if you want to spend hours just gazing into the person's eyes? You don't want to lay gazing into lifeless, boring eyes that look like you could blow dust off them."

"Next."

Lorelai returned to her page. "Okay, eyes are irrelevant," she said slowly as she wrote. She sighed and looked up. "Personality."

Luke looked down to the floor in thought. "Somebody not like me," he said simply.

Lorelai's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean?"

He shrugged. "Someone who likes to have fun, who's outgoing, lively." Lorelai smiled as he rattled off the words with a timid quality. She began to write. "Sincere, funny--definitely has to have a sense of humor." Lorelai's smile widened as she wrote. "She doesn't have to be bubbly, I won't say that I _want _bubbly...but it's okay if she's bubbly. She has to be kind, somebody who cares about other people. Loyal. Easy going. Somebody who you just want to be around."

Lorelai finished writing then looked at him. "You know, other than the extroverted qualities you just named there, you basically described yourself."

"No, I didn't."

"Yes, you did, Luke." She looked at what she'd written. "You started by saying someone not like you...like you're a grinch or something, then you named all these qualities that you have." She wagged her pen at him. "Give yourself some credit, man. Jeez."

He smiled a half-smile. Nodded in compliance.

"Okay, next, let's go with...body. What turns Luke 'Butch' Danes on?" She asked playfully.

Luke slowly changed shades as he sat trying to control it. "That's not all that important," he said wanting to avoid talking about it altogether.

Lorelai laughed. "Of course it is. It is with everybody. Everybody with standards, at least." He still said nothing, just continued to redden. Lorelai decided to help him out. "How about this? Here's your scale. On one end, there's Kate Moss in all of her _slipping-through-sidewalk-cracks_ glory. And on the other end, there's..." She shrugged, "uh, Fat Bastard."

"Who the hell is that?"

"He's the incredibly fat guy on Austin Powers. I didn't want to use a real person because that would be mean."

"You used a real person for the really skinny person," he pointed out.

She scoffed. "Well, yeah, you can mock the really skinny because, on the inside, we're all totally jealous, but mocking the heavy is mean and serves no other purpose but to _be _mean. And I'm not mean."

He gave her a dismissive eyeroll. "So that's the scale?" He asked.

Lorelai nodded. "That's the scale."

He thought. "On a regular ruler, I'd set my notch at about a four. Usually. I've never dated anyone heavier, but I guess as long as they carry the weight well, then it's okay. But I'd stay away from both extremes. Really fat or really skinny isn't attractive to me."

"Poor Fat Bastard," Lorelai empathized as she scribbled on the paper.

Luke tried to steal a peek. "How's it looking?"

"It's looking like your trying to cheat, Buster." She tilted the paper away.

"Sorry."

Lorelai studied the sheet. "Okay, is there anything else you want to cover? Anything superficial you want to tack on here--always gorgeous even when waking, pretty toes, never disturbs you during the game--you know the types of stuff guys like to throw in the recipe."

"Nah, I think I'm good to go."

"Really?"

"Yeah, that's all I--oh, wait, I have another one. Kind of."

Lorelai lifted her brows excitedly. "Okay, ready when you are."

He looked at her briefly. "Exes. I'm not a big fan of exes. I don't keep in regular contact with mine, and I wouldn't really want a woman whose best friend was her biggest love." Lorelai's eyes moved to him. "It's drama that I don't want to deal with. I'm not battling for anyone's heart."

Lorelai lowered the pad. "Well, that's not necessarily fair."

"What's not fair about it?" He asked calmly.

"Well, for starters...the whole thing." She laughed, though she was completely serious. "If someone has their best friend as someone they were in love with, then it's obvious that they've moved on. Otherwise, why would they put themselves through that torture?"

"I don't know why they would. And I don't care why they would. I just choose not to place myself in that particular situation."

"What made you even bring that up?"

He shrugged. "Thinking about Diane, I guess."

"You guess?" She asked dumbly.

"That's what I said." They looked at one another. "You seem like you're taking this personally," he stated.

"Why would I be taking it personally--unless, of course, it was meant to be taken personally," she said defensively.

He smirked. "You're thinking about Christopher, aren't you?"

"And you were _talking _about Christopher," she replied quickly. Luke's smirk turned to a small smile as he dropped his eyes to his lap casually. Lorelai placed the pen on the table soundly, and he looked back at her. "Okay, please explain to me how I, not only got thrown in this, but also got placed on the attack."

"You didn't get placed on the attack, Lorelai. I was just...listing...as per your instructions."

"Don't be cute, Luke. I can't believe you'd actually put something like that on your list. Thinking it's something that you've recognized in _me_."

He sighed. "I didn't mean to turn this into an argument between us."

"Too bad. You did. Now finish your thought. By all means," she said giving him the floor.

"I don't have a thought! I was just..." He looked at her hard glare. He'd started it. Now was as good a time as any to bring it home. "Okay, fine," he said holding onto his calm. "It's no secret that Christopher meant a lot to you. The reason why probably has a lot to do with Rory, because I honestly don't see any reason beyond her creation. But you have this bond with him, and recalling what I heard screamed in my diner two years ago, you probably won't ever be completely over him. Even after what he did to you. What his being absent did to Rory. So, I'm sorry to say, but you are the inspiration behind me wanting...me _needing _that on my list."

He took a deep breath, finding Lorelai looking at him squarely.

She didn't say anything, and his resolute expression that backed his words was starting to falter. His eyes shifted, went away from her, and came back only to find that her gaze still penetrated.

"Are you mad?" He found himself asking.

Her eyes narrowed for a moment before she finally blinked. She brought a hand to her face and touched her eyebrow. "No, I'm not mad," she finally answered.

Her composure made him nervous. "Well, what are thinking?"

She shook her head as if to say 'nothing' as she looked downward.

The head shake stopped and there was silence. Luke wished he would have just kept that one off of the list. He didn't need to have it written down. It was one that was easily remembered.

"I'm not in love with Christopher." This came from nowhere. Luke looked at her. She still looked down. "I love him. He's the reason that I have my daughter, and I will always love him." She looked at him. "But he's not right for me, and I know that. When I find the person that I'm meant to love, I will love him. I will be _capable _of loving him. Fully. Don't make me the reason that you have something like that on your list, Luke because it really is _not _fair to me."

Luke wanted to divert his gaze. But he couldn't. He wouldn't allow himself that copout. She wasn't crying, and her voice wasn't cracking horribly. But it was easy to see that she had been hurt by what he'd said. And he wouldn't allow himself to simply turn away to avoid seeing that. Because he was the reason for it.

He swallowed deeply, his eyes still on hers.

"I shouldn't have said that, Lorelai."

She smiled a small smile. "You said what you were thinking, so I'm glad you did." She shrugged. "Sometimes it's good to clear the air."

He nodded. "So, you don't hate me?"

She rolled her eyes good-naturedly with a wider smile. "I could never hate you, Luke."

He lifted his brows. "Can we...drop the subject and, uh, never pick it up again?"

"Consider it dropped."

He nodded, staring into her eyes.

He briefly considered going back and changing his stance on that particular body part.

Lorelai's vivacity began to return. "So the list...you wanna hear what you got?"

He smiled. "Hit me with it."

-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-

Lorelai walked into the diner at the end of the lunch rush.

"Hey," Luke greeted as she approached the counter.

She smiled. "Hiya," she said back.

Luke still looked at her, and he tilted his head to the side as he studied her for any new information. She laughed.

"Nothing yet," she answered before he could say anything.

He sighed. "Caesar," he called.

"Yeah," Caesar answered.

Luke's eyes stayed on Lorelai's face as he yelled back to him. She still grinned. "Watch the diner for a second, will ya?"

"Okay. Got it covered!"

"Thanks!" He pointed at Lorelai. "You, in the back," he said pointing to the storage room. Lorelai climbed off of the stool and sauntered through the door ahead of Luke. He came inside and closed them off. "Nothing _yet_?" He asked tiredly.

"Nothing yet," she repeated with inflection.

"Are you still looking?"

She rolled her eyes. "Yes, Luke. I'm still looking."

"But nothing yet?"

"For the billionth time...nothing yet."

"It's been a month, Lorelai."

"I know that, Dionysius."

He went on anyway. "A month. A month since the list. A month since you _voluntarily _promised to do what you claim women 'rocked at'."

"And I stand by that, too," she said proudly.

"You're not 'rocking at it' very well. Because I am still without a prospect. You said you'd find someone that'd last past the first date, and so far...nothing."

Lorelai leaned on one leg. "Luke, it takes time. You have to be patient."

"I don't have _time _to be patient. I have already lost like 3 months of bonding time. It's been three months since I saw those damn cats. I'm not getting any younger here."

"If you had a list telling me what measurements you wanted in a woman, then it'd be a much faster process, but I'm having to dig deep. That takes time. Now, relax," she said. "Cause if you rush me, and I break a nail in that digging process, that is definitely your ass."

She smiled quickly at him before she walked around him and out of the storage room. He stood there, mouth open.

"I guess that's the end of the conversation," he mumbled as he turned to leave as well.

He went back out into the diner and saw just as Lorelai sat on her stool.

"I'm so famished. And parched," she declared. "Can you make both of those feelings go 'bye bye' like the birdie?"

Luke went back in position behind the counter. He got her mug and set it in front of her. "I can't believe it's been a month, and you haven't done anything," he mumbled as he took the pot and filled her mug.

Lorelai released a breath. "Are we still on that?"

"We never left it. I never got to express to you how unsatisfied I am with your services."

"It's not services that I'm providing you with, Luke. It's a favor, and I told you I'm working on it."

He set the pot down and leaned his hands on the edge of the counter. "Do you know that I've seen a total of five women I could've have asked out by now?"

She shrugged. "Well, why didn't you?"

"Because you told me to let you handle it!" He looked around, making sure his exclaim hadn't gotten unwanted attention.

"Oh, yeah, I did say that, didn't I?"

"Lorelai."

"Okay, Luke. Jeez. Truth is, I did find one woman that fit your list. Problem is, I don't know if you'll like her."

He looked at her wide-eyed. She'd been holding out on him. "Well, I might. Did you like her? Did it seem like she and I would mesh well?"

"Well, I liked her just fine. But you and I are different, and I honestly don't know if she's who you'd go for."

"Who is she?"

"It doesn't matter who she is because I'm not going to set it up."

"Why?" He looked around again. He wished they'd just stayed in the storage room so he wouldn't have to be quite as much on guard.

"Because I'm not. Now, drop it. I'll keep looking next week."

"Next week?!" He asked in shock.

She smiled at his reaction. "Okay then, tomorrow. I'll keep looking on tomorrow." His still looked at her pointedly. "Well, goodness, you want me to drop everything and do it now?"

Rolling his eyes away, he replied, "You've wasted enough time, so you should."

"I've not been wasting time. I've been looking. Hard. Pounding the pavement and everything. And let me tell ya, Luke. Pavement is _hard _the feet."

He sighed and calmed himself thoroughly. "Well, let me give your feet a break. I'm going to go talk to Sally Mcculough. She's been coming in here a few times a week, and from what I can tell, she seems pretty great."

Lorelai's brows knitted. "Why? I told you I was on it."

"And you're doing an amazing job," he said sarcastically, "But if you don't mind, I'll take it from here."

"But I do mind. You're kind of stepping on my toes here, Luke. Don't ask her out. I'll handle it."

He started to move some things around. "I'll just ask her out. Judging by my luck, I'll probably still need your help," he said with a confiding chuckle.

Lorelai shook her head. "No, don't ask her out. The woman that I have will probably be a lot more suitable anyway."

"You said that you weren't going hook me up with her."

"Well, I changed my mind."

He looked at her questioningly. "So, now you're going to," he said testingly.

She shrugged, sighed. "I guess so."

He smiled at her. "Were you...planning on keeping this woman for yourself or something? You don't sound very enthused."

She plastered a smile. "Well, I am. Now, can I get food, please?"

"Uh...sure." He reached back and picked up the coffee pot. "Coffee?"

"Yeah. Lots of coffee," she said as her smile turned real.

"Coming up," he said quietly as he poured.

-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-

"Pick up the phone. Pick up the phone," Luke mumbled as he paced. His home phone was to his ear.

"Hello, this Lorelai. If your call is important...to _me_, leave a message." Beep.

"Lorelai, it's Luke calling. Again. Call me when you get this."

He ended the call and called her home number. There was no answer there either, and he didn't bother leaving a message. He set his phone down with an aggravated sigh. He rolled the sleeves on his dress shirt and looked down at his watch.

Fifty minutes late now.

His date was fifty minutes late, and he had not one clue of how to get in touch with her.

Lorelai had set it up. A week ago, she'd set it up. Told him she'd just have the woman meet him at the diner.

Luke wasn't big on blind dates, but he trusted that Lorelai wouldn't try to use this as a way to amuse herself. At his expense.

He sat on his couch and mulled over what to do.

And of course, his mind considered the possibility that he'd been stood up. He exhaled loudly and tapped his foot in thought. He wondered if he should save face, change out of his clothes and act like nothing had ever happened. Or if he should just continue to look like a stood up prom date.

Fifteen minutes passed, and he'd reached no conclusion.

He stood up and left the apartment. A split-second decision had him just heading back into the diner to work.

To hell with changing.

The last two hours of business flew by as Luke's mind wrapped itself around thoughts of another matter.

He walked the last customer to the door and locked up behind him. Caesar was scheduled to close, so he let him stay on the clock to get his hours.

He barely acknowledged the sound of the radio as Caesar flipped it on in the back to aid him in cleaning the kitchen. Luke began to turn chairs over on the table after he'd cleaned and sanitized the tabletops. Hearing the door handle jiggle, he turned and looked. He'd flipped the blinds so he was unable to see who it was.

He hoped it wasn't the date that Lorelai had promised because, at this point, he wasn't exactly sure what his attitude would be toward the stranger.

Luke went over, unlocked the door, then opened it to find Lorelai standing there.

He narrowed his eyes at her. "Do you know how many messages I left you?" He asked.

She moved around him. "Hey to you too."

He closed the door and locked it back. "Hey," he finally greeted with annoyance. Then he jumped right back into his attack. "Why the hell weren't you answering your phone?"

Lorelai had sat in one of the chairs that he hadn't put up yet. She crossed her legs and pulled her purse off her shoulder. "You called?" She asked as she took her phone out of her purse. Luke looked down to her.

"Yes. Like ten _times_, I called."

Her eyebrows lifted as she confirmed that. She smiled as she held it up to him. "Ten missed calls, nine voicemails. Sorry."

He rolled his eyes. "Your set-up didn't work." She looked at him. "She didn't show up." Lorelai's eyes dropped to his clothes as she gave him the once over.

"Really?" She asked calmly.

"Yes, really." His eyes rolled again. "And it's not like I had a number to call her, so I was just sitting here looking dumb."

"I'm sorry."

"Consider this your first and last time setting me up."

"I said I was sorry, Luke," she said, still with calm.

He shook his head, calming down. "Well, it's not your fault. Sorry I'm taking it out on you."

"It's okay. Feel free."

He looked down at himself, his hands placed angrily on his hips. "Got dressed up for nothing. Hours spent in these clothes for nothing."

"You look good."

"Thanks," he said flippantly.

Lorelai put her purse on the table and stood up. She held her hands out to her sides. "Do you like this outfit?" She asked him.

He looked in her face for a moment before his eyes fell to her clothes. "Yeah, it's fine," he answered.

She sat back down and crossed her legs back. "Cool," she said nodding.

He looked at her with question, but her eyes were off to the side, looking toward the kitchen where Caesar's voice rung out in song.

He sighed and his mind went back to his night's disappointment. "What if she did come?" He asked, letting his worry filter into his expressed anger. "What if she came, saw me and left?"

Lorelai's eyes went to him, and she laughed softly. Shook her head in amusement. "That wouldn't have happened," she said with casualness.

"How do you know that?"

"Because I know," she answered simply. "Besides, you're a Scorpio."

He waited for explanation that didn't seem to be following. "So?" He finally asked.

She shrugged. "Who doesn't like a Scorpio?"

He smiled. "Apparently whoever you set me up with," he said. She smiled. "I can't even be fully mad. As far as I'm concerned this lady was a figment of your imagination. I didn't even get her name."

She nodded at his words. "No, she's real."

Luke found himself calming more, wanting to know more. He took a chair down and sat in front of where she did. "So, what was she like?"

Lorelai smiled. "She's nice."

He looked down. "Do you think there's a reason why she didn't show up? You think something may have happened?"

She looked at him thoughtfully. "Yeah, maybe."

"Can you call her?" He asked, feeling like he was doing all the work in the conversation.

She continued to look at him. A few seconds passed in silence before she answered him. "If you want me to, I can call her."

He looked at her phone on the table, then back at her. "You mind doing that for me then?"

Lorelai lowered her eyes to her lap. With a kind smile, she returned focus to him. "No, I don't mind calling her," she answered quietly.

He nodded, took a breath. Lorelai's legs uncrossed and she stood slowly. Luke's eyes moved up to her face. Her hand moved to her ear as she slid her earring from its hole. She began to walk across the diner, and Luke's eyes narrowed in confusion.

She picked up the diner's phone and dialed some numbers. She put the phone to her ear and leaned on the wall as her eyes went to Luke.

He watched her with intent.

His attention went instantly to the table as Lorelai's phone began to vibrate wildly. He looked back at her, seeing she hadn't moved from the wall. Luke picked her phone up. "You have a call coming in on your ph--" His eyes ran briefly across the screen.

_Luke's _appeared on the call display.

He looked back at her in question. She still held the phone to her ear as she stared at him.

Finally, the vibrating stopped, and her phone showed another missed call. Lorelai calmly turned and hung the phone up. Her eyes dropped to the floor as she took a breath and started to walk back across the diner. "I...got her voicemail," she began quietly. "She had a new outgoing message, though...for you...I guess." She nodded. "It just said that she was sorry...and she just got a little scared. But she was going to come. Honest. She even...got dressed up."

Lorelai took a seat, looking down at the clothes she'd purchased a few days ago.

Her eyes finally went his, and she was happy to find something other than pure shock.

His mouth looked to be in the beginning stages of a smile. "It was you?" He asked softly.

She shrugged a shoulder. "Seems that way, doesn't it?"

The stages started progressing rather quickly as his lips spread. "It was you," he confirmed quietly to self.

She'd locked focus on him. "Disappointed?"

He nodded a little. "Yeah. You should have come."

She smiled. "You don't know how many times I got ready to do just that."

He nodded again. "But you got scared?"

She shook her head slowly. "_So _scared," she confided quietly.

Again, there was a nod, and Luke lowered his eyes. "Are you still scared?"

"I am," she answered. He looked back at her. "It's _you_, you know. We're friends, and I didn't know how you felt about changing that."

"I wouldn't want to change that." He shrugged, paused. "I'd definitely be open for an upgrade, though."

She smiled again. "I like you," came next. "I like you a lot, Luke."

He matched her smile. "That's good to know." He paused. "Because I'm pretty sure...I _know_..." he said instead, "...that you're...my list," he admitted.

Lorelai's expression was so soft as she looked at him. She smiled only slightly now. But her expression spoke volumes. Her _eyes _spoke volumes. Luke had, not only, placed that back on the list but had moved it to the top. Eyes were definitely important.

Luke swallowed, and he turned attention away shyly for a moment. "Can we, uh, reschedule? Go on a real date?"

Lorelai smiled widely, and she bit her lip to stop it from spreading like wildfire. "I'd like that," she agreed.

His features delighted. "Yeah?"

"Yeah."

Luke smiled greatly, and he released a breath of relief. Looking around in contemplation, he spotted Caesar going to town with his dancing and singing. Even with the noise, Luke had forgotten that he was even there. He looked back at Lorelai, and it didn't appear that she had looked away at all.

"Do you want some food or something? I can have Caesar turn the grill back on."

She shook her head with a smile. "No, thanks." She blinked slowly. "I've gotten everything I need from here tonight."

Luke smiled, his skin flushing at the same time. "You, uh...you want me to walk you home or anything?" He asked.

"No, I drove...actually. But thanks for offering."

"No problem."

They met each other's eyes and smiled. Luke made a move to stand, almost doing it as a gesture for her to rise first. She did. He followed. Lorelai put her phone back in her purse and put the strap over her shoulder. Luke held a hand out to the door, and together, they walked the few steps over there.

"So, I guess I'll see you tomorrow, then."

"First thing," she agreed with a nod.

Luke nodded back. She looked up into his eyes, but he seemed unable to stay focused on hers. He felt like his heart was about to spring out of his chest. She wasn't turning to leave, and the extended silence made the forthcoming moment inevitable.

He finally met her eyes, and she smiled at seeing him do so. He took a small step forward, and she didn't seem to mind. He took another, and her body appeared to relax more. Her focus moved from his eyes to his lips, and with that, Luke closed the remaining space between them.

His hands rested lightly on her sides, and her hands had gone to either side of his face as their lips pressed together. They didn't deepen it right away, but instead there was time taken to appreciate the feel of the other's lips. There were nasal breaths as they kissed lingeringly. Then there were soft pecks that produced tiny moans.

Luke's hands ignited her sides, then set fire to the rest of her body as he slid his hands around to hold her tighter. Lorelai responded, looping her arms around his neck. The kiss went deep and stayed that way. That fluency, the passion that took them both by surprise had them seeing stars indoors.

Two minutes passed before there was separation.

They were fully out of breath, both working to not pass out from the lack of oxygen.

Luke placed a kiss on her cheek. Lorelai's eyes closed back. He, then, kissed his way to her neck where he spent a few seconds kissing her softly.

"I better go," she whispered, eyes still closed.

Luke smiled, kissed again. "Yeah, you better go," he whispered back.

Lorelai slowly pulled away. Her bottom half was first. Her head/neck second.

She grinned. "I'll see you tomorrow, okay. I promise."

He nodded. "Yeah, tomorrow."

She looked into his eyes and extended a hand that he grasped and held. "Tomorrow," she said again quietly.

Reluctantly, she pulled away and opened the door.

"I open at 6am," he added quickly.

Lorelai laughed. "I'll keep that in mind. Bye Luke."

"Bye."

Lorelai gave him a wink and exited through the door.

Luke smiled as he lazily walked over and locked the door behind her.

He started at his job again, this time with many more positive thoughts on his mind.

He felt successful. Triumphant. He'd started the day thinking that _maybe _he'd make progress. _Maybe _he'd be able to take a _teeny tiny _step in the right direction. _Maybe _he'd meet the woman recommended by Lorelai and actually make it to the second date.

Maybe.

Instead, he found something much more satisfying.

There was no need to catch up on conversations with the person he'd found.

The years of bickering had long since jumped off.

He knew her. He accepted her. And what's more, she knew and accepted him.

He smiled to himself as he moved through the diner. Moving back behind the counter, his eyes dropped down to his father's scribblings. He stopped and leaned down as he ran his hand over the writing.

"Better late than never, huh, Dad?"

He stood up, his smile widening. "Better late than never," he repeated as he pointed a finger toward the sky.

**-The End- **

_I hope you all liked this. These kinds are my favorites to write. Enjoy the rest of this day...It's a good one. :-) (((((__**2/7/84**)))))_


End file.
